Migraine Headaches and Volunteering

[swanska]

My Doctor says mine are bad enough but not frequent enough for a prophylactive med. .

Interesting that the Doctor considers them not frequent enough. In 2013, I went from 1-2/year max to 13 migraines in the first 5 months. I skipped the general practitioner and went straight to a neurologist. The neurologist took my history, wouldn't give me a requested MRI, but prescribed Topirimate. I was to start with 25 mg/day and increase to 50 mg. The 25 mg/day worked for me and after discussing with the doctor and reading about the side effects, I stayed with the 25 mg. Have had only one migraine in the past 18 months since being on it. I have been very happy with it and if I do get a migraine, Imitrix has worked for me -- usually 2 pills (1st taken immediately the other 1/2 hour later) allow me to function about an hour after the start of migraine. I get the classic migraine of limb numbness, peripheral vision blindness, eye pain, verbal slurring, etc. One of the causes of my migraines is bananas but I haven't intentionally had one for decades so others may be atmospheric, light flickering, or ???.

On a side note: If I had been more forceful in getting that MRI, perhaps they might have discovered that I have MS a year earlier. But that is a different story and the migraine increase may/may not be related to what they found in the brain/spinal scans. Fortunately I am on the older side of being diagnosed (late 40s) and the vision issue that started me on the path to this discovery resolved back to normal and I am being treated for MS with the expectations that the great strides in medicine will keep me healthy.

[Snowshoe]

Yikes, Swanska, that's scary. Glad you caught the MS as soon as you did.

One really bad one the OH dragged me to emergency where I was asked if I wanted a scan of some kind but I was sure it was just a migraine so I said no. That was before I went on the codeine pill and all I wanted to do was die. Did you have the MRI whilst in the throes of the migraine? That's what they wanted to do with me and I knew I would not be able to be still.

[swanska]

I have never had the fortune of being witnessed by a doctor while in the throes of a migraine. I have been fortunate in that I like light (not darkness) when I have migraines -- it gives me hope because when I was a child, my parents would take me home and put me to bed...I would hear my friends playing and say to myself that soon I would recover. I also found out that concerts and loud bass drums take the pressure off my head. But, when I don't have those available -- yes -- Please just kill me!!

I discovered that I actually like MRI's. I was a little nervous that I might be claustrophobic and the first brain set I was put in up to my chest. No problem! I was allowed to wiggle my toes but that was all. They played mood music. My tech sounded like a cruise director and would tell me how many minutes each scan was. The very loud machine noise resembled construction noise and since I am in construction management, I was used to it. I used my imagination and pretended I was building something awesome next to a pounding ocean, another time I was destroying a road next to a forest of singing birds (thank you music). When I had the spinal scan, I was in up to my hips...there was one scan that made me feel like a magician's assistant in the box. Sounded like I was getting sawn in half. Ultimately, I found myself quite relaxed when I was pulled out of the machine, all stress headaches were vanquished and really I wanted to go back in and nap. Yes -- everyone thinks I am crazy but since I appears that I will need them every few years-- I am glad that I won't live in dread of MRIs.

[Snowshoe]

LOL, well ok, now I think I'd like to have one, you make them sound almost fun.

Speaking of though, sort of, one thing about my migraines is when I am able to sleep I have the most vivid and strange dreams. Not scary or hurtful, not nightmares, as one might reasonably think the nightmare itself of a migraine might produce. Almost like they are a reward for what I'm going through. I've never mentionned the dreams to my Doctor but I did to a friend. She scoffed and said it was because of the codeine but I get them no matter what med, or no med, that I take. Anybody else get the fun dreams?